Chandra X-ray Observatory

Thursday, June 17, 1999

Dave Drachlis
Media Relations Office
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
(256) 544-6538

NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory was given a green light yesterday to move to the launch pad. Today, astronauts and controllers are participating in a major launch simulation. Launch of Chandra, the world's most powerful X-ray telescope, is targeted for not earlier than July 20.

The Payload Readiness Review for Chandra and its Inertial Upper Stage booster was concluded June 16 clearing it for transfer to its launch pad. Chandra will be installed into its launch canister June 18 and transported to Pad 39-B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., June 19. Columbia's payload bay doors are to be closed for flight July 17.

Installation of Chandra and its Inertial Upper Stage into Space Shuttle Columbia's payload bay is scheduled June 24. On June 28, an interface verification test is scheduled to verify electrical connections and the ability of the Columbia crew to send commands to Chandra from Columbia's flight deck.

Today, members of the Chandra X-ray Observatory team began the fourth of six launch and activation simulations. The simulation began with preparation for Chandra's deployment from the Space Shuttle cargo bay, through its boost to higher orbit on board an Inertial Upper Stage booster.

The exercise is designed to challenge controllers and managers by presenting a variety of situations and problems to test the teams' ability to effectively and rapidly solve them should they occur.

The STS-93 Columbia, led by commander Eileen Collins, is taking part in the simulation. Also participating are Chandra's Operations Control Center in Cambridge, Mass.; Huntsville Operations Support Center at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.; Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center in Houston; Inertial Upper Stage Control Center at Onizuka Air Force Station in Sunnyvale, Calif.; and the communications assets of both the Deep Space Network and the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite system.

"I am impressed with the dedication and hard work of the entire NASA and contractor team in readying this important international scientific resource for launch," said Chandra Observatory program manager Fred Wojtalik at the Marshall Space Flight Center. "The careful and deliberate testing, simulations and launch preparations we are conducting are key to a successful mission."

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